The man braced one hand against the table, and his familiar scent with a faint hint of mint instantly enveloped Qiao Zhao, clearing her drowsy mind.

Qiao Zhao came to her senses and asked Tiezhu, “Brother Tiezhu, take a look – is this what the person looked like?”

Tiezhu glanced at it and slammed the table hard, his voice excited, “Yes, yes, that’s exactly what he looked like! It’s so similar, truly so similar!”

Qiao Zhao smiled, “That’s because Brother Tiezhu remembered clearly. Otherwise, I would have been helpless.”

After speaking, she looked at the portrait and began spacing out again.

Noticing Qiao Zhao’s unusual behavior, Shao Mingyuan called out, “Miss Li?”

In front of outsiders, he naturally didn’t want others to know his beloved’s name.

Qiao Zhao snapped back to attention and glanced at Tiezhu imperceptibly.

Understanding her meaning, Shao Mingyuan straightened up and said to Tiezhu, “Brother Tiezhu, you’ve worked hard all night. Go back and rest now.”

“Is this enough?” Tiezhu asked uncertainly.

“It’s more than enough. We can handle the rest. Brother Tiezhu can rest assured – with this portrait, we will track this person down.”

After seeing Tiezhu out, Shao Mingyuan returned and sat beside Qiao Zhao, naturally taking her hand.

Qiao Zhao raised an eyebrow, “Shao Mingyuan!”

At a time like this, he still had the mood for romance?

But Shao Mingyuan ignored her annoyance, lowering his eyes and gently massaging her hand.

Qiao Zhao was stunned. Seeing his focused expression as he massaged her hands that were almost cramping from fatigue, she didn’t know how to react for a moment.

The etiquette training she had received was ingrained in her bones. Even after sitting all night, let alone sitting longer, her back would remain straight and her wrists wouldn’t droop, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t get tired.

But when she was too exhausted to move, no one had ever treated her with such gentleness.

Was this person planning to set a gentle trap and wait for her to walk into it willingly?

But that arrow, that cage that had imprisoned her for two years – these were all pasts she didn’t want to revisit.

“Does it feel better?” The man’s low, hoarse voice sounded beside her ear.

Qiao Zhao looked up at him. His eyes were bloodshot, but his spirit showed no signs of fatigue.

“Aren’t you tired?” she asked unconsciously.

Shao Mingyuan was stunned, then broke into a wide smile, “Not tired, I’m used to it.”

Moreover, being able to spend a night with Zhaozhao – even if he were tired, he wouldn’t want to sleep.

“Are you worried I’m tired?” The man holding the young woman’s hand suddenly applied a bit more pressure.

Clearly, when he had been massaging her hands before, she hadn’t felt anything unusual, but when he suddenly applied more pressure, her face suddenly heated up. She pulled her hand away and said coolly, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Alright, I’m talking nonsense. Don’t move, let me massage them for you.” The man beside her held onto Qiao Zhao’s hand, his touch gentle, “You didn’t stop all night. If I don’t massage them properly, they’ll cramp, and then you’ll be uncomfortable.”

Qiao Zhao stared at him without speaking.

Shao Mingyuan turned his head to look at her, worried she might be embarrassed and angry and not let him continue massaging. He asked about the matter at hand, “Zhaozhao, just now when you looked at the finished portrait, your expression seemed off. What’s wrong?”

At the mention of this, Qiao Zhao’s brow furrowed tightly, her gaze falling once again on the portrait spread on the table, “I’ve seen this person before.”

Though he had already sensed this possibility, hearing Qiao Zhao say it still made Shao Mingyuan’s expression change slightly, “You’ve seen him? Who is he?”

“I don’t know.” Qiao Zhao shook her head, her gaze on the portrait somewhat bewildered, “Though I have a good memory and can draw people or things I’ve seen exactly as they were, that’s only if I paid special attention to those people or things. The person in this portrait – I’m certain I’ve seen him, but at the time it was likely just a casual glance that left only this vague impression of having seen him in my mind. But as for what his identity is or where I saw him, I can’t remember at all.”

Seeing the young woman’s regretful and frustrated expression, Shao Mingyuan couldn’t help but reach out to stroke her hair, saying gently, “Zhaozhao, you’ve already done very well. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Now that we know what the murderer looks like, as long as this person is still alive, even if I have to turn over rivers and seas and exhaust my entire life’s effort, I will find him.”

“That would still take a lot of time. This person left a faint impression on me – perhaps with the right trigger, I might remember. Let me think about it more carefully.”

“You’re not allowed to think anymore.” Shao Mingyuan rarely put on a stern face, “What you need now isn’t to think carefully, but to get a good sleep.”

“But—”

“Listen to me!”

Qiao Zhao laughed in anger, “Shao Mingyuan, who are you to make such demands?”

The young general leaned forward, his cool breath brushing against the young woman’s snow-white neck, “I’m your man. Is there any question about that?”

If he hadn’t decided she was his wife, would he be so shameless as to hold a young woman’s hand every day?

If she felt nothing for him at all, would she allow him such liberties?

His silly girl just couldn’t see her own heart yet.

He was the mighty Northern Expedition General who had killed countless enemies and struck fear into the Tatars. If he didn’t even dare to win back his wife, he might as well just slit his throat.

“Shao Mingyuan, don’t push your luck!”

The man lowered his eyes with a wounded expression, “Zhaozhao, you’ve clearly looked at me and even kissed me, yet you despise me so much. Don’t you want to take any responsibility?”

Before the young woman could retort, he suddenly stood up and scooped her up horizontally.

Caught off guard, Qiao Zhao instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and angrily demanded, “Shao Mingyuan, what are you doing?”

“Doing what a man should do.” Shao Mingyuan said this while striding toward the bed.

Qiao Zhao was completely dumbfounded.

What should a man do? Though she had never experienced marital affairs, her mother had given her subtle hints before her coming of age.

Impossible – how could this be the Shao Mingyuan she knew?

Qiao Zhao felt as if she were in a dream. Only when the man carrying her placed her on the bed did she wake up as if from a dream, lifting her foot to kick hard at the person above her.

That kick landed squarely on his lower abdomen.

The man’s expression twisted briefly from pain, but his hand movements didn’t stop. He gently laid the young woman down, pulled a thin blanket to cover her, and sighed softly, “Zhaozhao, where did your mind go? Sleep quickly.”

No matter how anxious he was, he wouldn’t act recklessly before they were married.

Qiao Zhao was stunned.

The young woman’s dazed appearance made Shao Mingyuan smile slightly, and he couldn’t help but tease, “Of course, if you wanted to… I would be willing…”

Qiao Zhao’s face turned bright red as she angrily said, “Shao Mingyuan, get out!”

“Alright, I’m leaving now. Sleep peacefully.”

Only when the sound of the closing door reached her did Miss Qiao, clutching the thin blanket, belatedly realize: Wait, this is Shao Mingyuan’s room!